Deidre Brock MP

Anybody reading what the UK's Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been writing or listening to what he's been saying might think that he has great plans for the environment. He's talking a good game, praising NFU members for their work to prevent environmental degradation and the work they do against climate change.No-one...

In 2014 there was a series of commemorations for the centenary of the start of the First World War. We remembered the sacrifice made by so many; those who would never return home, those who came home broken and those who mourned the loss.The horrors of the first industrialised war were replayed; we can't ever know what it was really like to be ther...

April 11, 2018The use of chemical weapons is abhorrent and violates international law. The UK Government must work with international partners to clamp down on the development and use of chemical weapons but parliament must have a say in any change of the roles of UK forces in Syria.I believe further military intervention would not provid...

The SNP have said peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland must be protected on the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Marking twenty years since the Agreement, SNP Northern Ireland spokesperson Deidre Brock criticised "inflammatory" comments by Tory Brexit Minister David Davis against the Irish government, and warned that the Agreement cou...

A new walking touch rugby group for men and women over 50 is being launched by Edinburgh BATS rugby at Raeburn Place. Information from organisers below - contact them for more details.Walking touch rugby is a non-running, non-contact version of rugby union for men and women. This new initiative is designed to provide over-50s who are look...

Dignity at work for women everywhere should be one of our core demands in politics. This is not about women getting a special deal; it is about dignity and respect.
Deidre Brock MP
During a debate on 'Women and Work', Deidre points out a few areas where the UK Government are missing opportunities to break down barriers for women. Full tran...

MONDAY March 5On Monday I responded for the SNP to Sajid Javid's statement on the overhaul of the National Policy Planning framework in England (although the announcements, such as they were, had been largely pre-empted by May earlier that day)I offered him some suggestions for additional action based on the SNP government strategies and results bu...

The Welfare State is one of the best ideas of the 20th century, giving people the chance to start again when their lives are damaged. Some people have had to depend on it for extended periods of time and some have had the safety net catch them so they could climb back up again.It's been under attack for decades now, a toxic narrative of "scroungers...

The Scottish Affairs Committee met this week in Kirkcaldy to explore how post-Brexit immigration policy should address the needs of current migrants, the agricultural sector and rural and remote communities in Scotland. The Committee was addressed by members of the Fife Migrants Forum about their experiences of coming to live and work in Scotl...

Today (Wed 31 Jan) we debated the UK Government's analysis papers on leaving the EU. I believe the papers must be made public, although I have my doubts they'll tell us much we don't already know .... here's my speech...Everybody with any sense of how the world works, or indeed, even the tiniest ability to listen to experts, knows that leaving the ...

'UTTERLY SHOCKING' RESPONSE FROM UK GOVERNMENT ON PIP PAYMENT U-TURNSNP MP Deidre Brock has said that Tory ministers denying that their welfare policies are causing harm to people is 'utterly shocking' and that the UK government is 'in denial' about the effect of their callous policies.Deidre Brock's comments follow a question today on the UK gover...

SNP politicians are calling on the Tory government at Westminster to use its reserved powers to ban the sale of electronic shock collars across the UK.Leading animal welfare groups united this week to praise the SNP Scottish Government's decision to use its devolved powers to introduce a "prompt and effective" ban on the use of shock collars and ot...

EU Withdrawal Bill - Labour and Tories let us downTwo days of debates on the EU Withdrawal bill culminated in the UK Government pushing it through almost unscathed - in the end nearly all the Tory MPs, including those from Scotland, meekly followed their party into the voting lobbies to vote through this bill. The honourable exception was Ken Clark...

I have been getting so many emails about Brexit recently, as well as the various provisions within the EU Withdrawal Bill, that I've compiled a general response to clarify my position, and that of the SNP. For more details of my views on any particular clause or amendment of the EU Withdrawal Bill, you can follow my voting record here: https://hans...

This article first appeared in Edinburgh Evening News Monday 15 January 2018 In the days of the French revolution a tricoteuse was a woman who sat and knitted while attending public executions. The advance of gender equality means we now have a male version of the tricoteuse in the shape of the Scottish Secretary David Mundell MP.The unfortuna...

Appointment of Esther McVey as Work & Pensions Secretary 'a disgrace' The Prime Minister's chaotic reshuffle did nothing for her credibility but certainly reinforced the 'nasty party' image of the Tories. Appointing Esther McVey as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions was a particularly dreadful move. McVey ha...

One department that I've been asking a lot of questions of recently is the Scotland Office. It's important to scrutinise what they're up to as every penny that the Scotland Office spends is money that doesn't get spent on services in Scotland.There's been some questionable rises in spend for a department that has hardly any governing responsibiliti...

Questions have been raised over whether Scottish Tory ministers are "partying on the public purse" after new figures revealed that Scotland Office hospitality spending has skyrocketed.Responding to a parliamentary question from SNP MP Deidre Brock, Scottish Secretary David Mundell was forced to admit that Scotland Office spending on hospitality has...

Deidre Brock MP has called for all donors to parties in Northern Ireland during the EU referendum to be open to public scrutiny.Deidre is the SNP's spokesperson on Northern Ireland and also sits on the committee tasked with scrutinising the secondary legislation being introduced today. Deidre said:-"Transparency over donations to political parties ...